‘IT’S A KIND OF BULLYING BY THE VERY POWERFUL’ – STILL TALKING TOUGH BUT MAHATHIR CHICKENS OUT THIS TIME, MUSLIM BROTHER OR NOT: MALAYSIA ‘FORCED’ TO TOE THE U.S. LINE – CLOSES IRANIAN BANK ACCOUNTS AFTER REAPING NEAR DISASTER FROM DR M’S COMMENTS OVER INDIA’S KASHMIR POLICY

PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad today admitted that the country was pressured into closing bank accounts of Iranian individuals and companies, but maintained that ties with Tehran were good.

“We are forced to close the bank accounts. If we don’t, they will close our banks.

“It’s a kind of bullying by the very powerful,” he told reporters after attending the education ministry’s National Education Advisory Council (MPPK) meeting here.

Also present were Education Minister Maszlee Malik and his deputy Teo Nie Ching.

Earlier today, Reuters reported that banks in Malaysia are closing the accounts of Iranian individuals and companies, believed to be linked to sanctions imposed by Washington.

Despite Washington’s sanctions over Iran’s nuclear programme imposed late last year, Malaysia has kept up good diplomatic ties with Tehran, and last week, their leaders discussed ways to further strengthen ties.

It was not clear if the account closures were linked to the tracking of an Iranian oil tanker offshore Malaysia this year, a development that annoyed the US.

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